A Beginner's Guide to Sheffield

Double Somersault

2008-11-08T21:51:00.001Z

I've always liked this. It is a large sculpture that stands outside Sheffield Children's Hospital.

It's called Double Somersault and is by the artist William Pye. This type of tubular stainless steel structure is fairly typical of his work at that time (nowadays he is better known for his water sculptures).

Double Somersault was erected in 1976 by the Centenary Committee of the Children's Hospital (with some help from the Arts Council), but it has moved around a little since then. It originally stood on Western Bank, outside the main entrance to the hospital, but had to move along slightly when the entrance was altered. It moved again, as a result of more major changes to the hospital's entrances, around the corner to Clarkson Street, where it still stands today.

I remember stopping to look at Double Somersault during my very first week in Sheffield. I loved its simplicity, the slight asymmetry and the beautiful visual balance. Like many simple and elegant sculptures, it looks as if it was easy to design, but I bet it wasn't.

Links:
William Pye's website (I really like the favicon, but then, I would.)
A blogpost about William Pye by Stacy Alexander
A very brief biography of William Pye appears on this gallery's site

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Spiral

2008-10-28T23:51:00.001Z

I was driving along Queens Road in Sheffield today when these caught my eye, so I decided it was worth stopping for a closer look.

This set of rather nice sculptures stand outside Screwfix. I've no idea who made them, or if other branches have something similar, I'll have to do some detective work there.

I think they're rather nice - not to mention very appropriate. A small visual oasis in a part of Sheffield that is rather less than picturesque.

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Transports Exceptionnels

2008-09-29T21:59:00.001+01:00

The new season of Danceworks started in style this weekend. We joined the crowd on the fairly recently revamped Devonshire Green to watch a highly unusual piece of dance.

Transports Exceptionnels, by French choreographer Dominique Boivin, was described by the Danceworks brochure as "a tender love duet for dancer and mechanical digger". Strangely enough, that's exactly what it was.

We expected the dancer, Phillipe Priasso, to be expressive, and he was - at times tender, at others playful, in a perfomance that included some highly acrobatic moves. However the most surprising aspect was the fact that the digger was not just a foil to the human dancer, it danced quite well itself. Hidden behind the mirrored windows of the cabin, the unseen, but highly skilled driver made his charge interact with its human partner in a rather amazing manner.

"Accompagnied by the dramatic voice of Maria Callas, this meeting between iron and flesh is a witty interpretation of the classic pas de deux. Playful yet rugged, Transports Exceptionnels is an unexpected moment of grace between fragile man and indestructible machine."

Danceworks Autumn 2008 Brochure

This event was described by Danceworks as being 'family friendly'. There were masses of young children in the crowd, all of whom seemed entranced by the whole thing. Some liked the digger, some the dancing, others the acrobatic elements of the performance. Two small children sitting near us had brought their toy diggers along, as a result of which they were introduced to Phillipe Priasso after the performance. He sat and chatted with them - and with the small crowd of other children that quickly gathered.

Danceworks have been successful at getting secondary school age pupils to attend their events, but this one really seemed to appeal to all ages.

Compagnie Beau Geste are taking Transports Exceptionnels on a UK tour in association with Dance Umbrella, although Sheffield, Derby and Oxford are the only three venues outside London listed on the website. (Will they will be travelling to their next venue by digger, I wonder?) If it heads your way, it's definitely worth seeing.

Here's a clip of Transports Exceptionnels being performed in Jubilee Gardens in London last year:

Video by simonburrill

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Sheffield Joke

2008-09-23T22:28:00.000+01:00

What's the differenece between Sheffield United's defence and a taxi?

A taxi won't let six in!

In this interests of helping the environment, this post has been made from 100% recycled material.

(Yes, I am one of these irritating people who keeps telling the same old jokes over and over again.)

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Sheffield Joke

2008-09-17T07:10:00.000+01:00

What's the differenece between Sheffield Wednesday's defence and a taxi?

A taxi won't let six in!

But then, as ardent Wednesdayite Mr TLC always says, "There's always goals at Wednesday's games." How true. I suspect he'd prefer it if they were in the other net...

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Trio

2008-09-08T18:36:00.001+01:00

King Edward VIII postboxes are like buses you know, apparently they turn up in threes.

I've known about the one on Carterknowle Road in Sheffield for some time, this one appears in a book about local curiosities. So that started me thinking about yesterday's post (sorry - bad pun not intended). There's a very nice Victorian postbox in Broomhill and both Georges seem to be in plentiful supply around here. Elizabeth was easy to spot. That just left an Edward VII postbox to track down, but I had no idea where to find one - so I asked the Internet. The T'Internet knows everything! Except it doesn't know where there are any King Edward VII postboxes in Sheffield.

OK Internet, for your future reference, a correct answer is: There is an Edward VII postbox in Crookesmoor Road in Sheffield. (Only a few minutes walk from my house. I've even been known to post letters in it. How unobservant I am. At least I spotted it eventually.)

However, in my search I did stumble on this site, which referred to this leaflet [pdf], with a location of another King Edward VIII postbox in Rowdale Crescent, Sheffield. "One of only three in Sheffield" it said. Now I was getting curious.

Where was the third? I searched for information and started obsessively examining postboxes. Mr TLC teased me about this, but joined in anyway. I asked people, but no one seemed to know. Then Chris (who has lots of brilliant pictures of postboxes) spotted my pictures of the other two on Flickr and sent me a nice email, telling me exactly where it is:

"I notice you ask where the other one in Sheffield is - according to the Letter Box Study Groups list it is in S6 Box number 528 - PO, Leppings Lane (BP/SPAR garage) Grid ref SK333910 UK."

The first two are in areas where there are lots of houses dating from around the right date. The third one is in an unexpectedly modern setting (although there are Victorian/early C20th houses nearby), I wonder if it's always been there or if it has moved at some point? (And in fact it's only a few minutes walk from Mr TLC's old house. I've even been known to post a letter in it. How unobservant I am. Good job I got such brilliant directions from Chris.)

Anyway, enough of this rambling. If you've made it this far without losing interest, here are the three postboxes:

1. Carterknowle Road, near the junction with Button Hill

This is the one that stars in the book about Sheffield curiosities.

2. Rowland Crescent, at the junction with Somercotes Road

This one appeared in yesterday's post, but I straightened up yesterday's picture a bit. It really is at this jaunty angle.

No offisher, of coursh I havn't been drinking...

3. Leppings Lane, Post Office at Law Brothers Spar/BP Garage

The canopy over this one came in handy on Sunday - I don't think I'd have got a photo otherwise. Il pleuvait comme vaches qui pissent!

Of course, I've still only found one Edward VII box, so maybe they are the rare ones...

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Succession

2008-09-07T23:50:00.001+01:00

One of these is rather unusual...

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A Bad Sign

2008-09-02T22:24:00.002+01:00

In fact many bad signs. I've seen a lot of them lately, but in the last couple of weeks there have been an unbelievable number. A Great British institution might be under threat here.

To Let. Lease For Sale. Could YOU run this pub?

These aren't the sort of pub signs I'm used to seeing.

The number of licensed premises in Sheffield that are up for grabs is amazing. Then there's the large number that have simply closed. I suspect that the Sheffield of the near future will have a lot fewer local pubs. These aren't all tiny backstreet boozers; some big, previously very busy and popular places have been on the market for so long that the "Lease For Sale" signs have weathered and taken on an air of permanence.

It's not surprising, we've noticed the dwindling number of customers for quite a while now - a trend that started long before the ban on smoking came into force.

Is it just here, or is the same thing happening everywhere?

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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It's started...

2008-06-10T22:27:00.001+01:00

It's June 10th, the bunting has appeared - it's the Broomhill Festival!

The festival may be a local affair, with most events taking place within the suburb of Broomhill, but it is gets bigger year on year, both in terms of the number and quality of events and the amazing amount of money raised for the festival charities - well over £17 000 last year.

We've bought tickets for several events, which means that you will be subjected to my attempts at reviewing them over the next couple of weeks. So, basically Mr TLC and I get to go out and have fun, you get to share it with us. Sounds good to me!

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Restoration

2008-06-05T20:02:00.000+01:00

I've always liked bandstands - that's a childhood spent watching Trumpton for you - so it has been particularly satisfying watching this one come back to life. This is Sheffield's only surviving Victorian bandstand. It has been restored as part of the major works undertaken in Weston Park. It's not quite finished, but it's back in business.

I do have a 'before' photo somewhere, but I'm pretty sure that was taken with actual film (remember that?) and I can't find it. Suffice to say it was a mess, boarded up and rather run down, it was a sad little bandstand. Not any more.

March 30th 2008
Most of the bandstand is elsewhere being refurbished, rebuilt and (in parts) replaced.

April 21st 2008
The framework for the roof has been put in place. This is so exciting that it gets reported in the local paper. But then again, the local paper does have a lot of space to fill.

May 25th 2008
The new zinc roof is gleaming. I don't remember that beautiful metalwork, but it looks reet smart (as we say round here). The new panels are piled up waiting to be installed. These will hold sash windows, that can be lowered to ground level.

June 1st 2008
A very important detail has been added - there's a band! Everyone sits around on folding metal chairs, in the traditional manner for enjoying a concert in the park. The bandstand isn't quite finished yet - there are a few gaps above the panelling into which stained glass panels will be fitted in the next few weeks.

I don't remember stained glass panels, or a weathervane, but the bandstand was already in a pretty bad state when I arrived in Sheffield, so they probably weren't there. It's looking good now though.

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Open Day

2008-06-02T19:29:00.001+01:00

One of my favourite places is the Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris. It isn't the gardens that appeal to me so much, although they are of course very nice, it's the atmosphere: it's wonderful.

I think the appeal lies in that sense of a bygone age, a gentler time. The last time we visited it was a bright spring day and we wandered past children playing with toy boats, spinning tops and all manner of traditional toys. We strolled past tables where old men played chess in a relaxed and laid-back manner, despite the fact that every move had to be completed before their stopclocks reached zero. We sat on a park bench and ate ice cream as we watched the world go by. Finally we made it to the Musée de Luxembourg, where we enjoyed an exhibition of Matisse's work and were astounded by the enthusiasm shown by the many, very young French children who were there, most of whom were making wildly inaccurate copies of some of the artwork in their sketchbooks. It was a fantastic day, a day that left me feeling contented and nostalgic.

Yesterday afternoon that feeling came flooding back, but this time I didn't have to go all the way to Paris; Mr TLC and I just strolled to Weston Park in Sheffield where the grand Open Day was in full swing. The park has been undergoing major restoration work, in fact it still is - it wasn't finished in time for the Open Day, but enough was done that it looks pretty good.

We expected to see the carousel and helter-skelter, and whilst we knew that the almost-complete bandstand would be back in use, it was still good to see it come back to life. There were a few surprises: we hadn't expected to meet Queen Victoria, or watch a game of croquet - in which good-natured cheating seemed to be a major factor in the game!

A very small version of Ivor the Engine was chugging up and down, to the delight of small children and childish grown-ups. There were drama groups and bands performing, and (of course) the once-controversial ice-cream van was in attendance.

For me the best part of the day was watching one very talented teacher who was managing to encourage literally dozens of children and adults to walk on stilts, spin plates and catch diabolos. He was unbelievable: relaxed and chatting, whilst doing just enough for his students that they saw success within their grasp and continued to practise and persevere when he moved onto another group.

We rounded off our visit with a final hit of nostalgia: we called in at Weston Park Museum to say hello to Snowy the polar bear. That's where the spell got broken: it's a modern museum, complete with the obligatory bells and whistles. This being both the last day of the half-term holiday and Weston Park Open Day, it was incredibly busy. There were a gazillion children charging about, good-naturedly but noisily, pushing every button and trying everything on offer. "Shall we come back when it's quieter?" asked Mr TLC. I think that's exactly what we'll do.

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Sheffield In Bloom

2008-05-15T07:00:00.002+01:00

My journey to work is brightened every morning by the fantastic landscaping around parts of the new section of Inner Relief Road. I don't know who is responsible for the planting, but they have done a great job, as soon as one thing starts to fade, something new appears. I quite enjoy stopping at the traffic lights now, because it gives me a chance to look at the view!

I thought I'd stop off on the way home and take a few pictures to share with you:

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Timelord's Arcane Relic Discovered In Sheffield

2008-05-12T16:10:00.001+01:00

Generations of Sheffielder's have fallen in love with the police box next to the town hall. It's not blue, it's not the 'right' shape and it lost its blue light years ago, but Who cares? We can still fantasize about travelling across time and space in it.

Personally, I'd go back to the 1930s, just to find out whether people really did walk as quickly as they do in old news reels. Where would you go?

"This Police Box, which is still used operationally, is the sole survivor of 120 boxes which served the Sheffield City Police and the community for nearly 40 years.

Introduced by the Chief Constable, Percy J Sillitoe, in October 1928, in the days when there were few police vehicles and no personal radios, the boxes were sited on police beats all over the City and provided a contact point for police officers and members of the public. Each box had a direct telephone link with the local police station which was freely available to members of the public seeking police assistance.

The boxes were visited by patrolling officers at hourly intervals when information was passed by 'phone between patrolling officers and supervisory staff at police stations.

A 'blue' electric lamp, controlled from the local police station, was located on the top of each box and used to indicate that there was an important message to be passed out.

Although small in size (about 5 feet square) the boxes were used by one, and often two, patrolling officers for meal-breaks - usually sandwiches and a flask of tea - and for report writing and recording messages for other patrolling and supervisory officers.

Occasionally the boxes served as a temporary lock-up for anyone who had been arrested and was awaiting transport to a police station.

The boxes remained in regular use until the 1960's [sic] when modern policing techniques and improved communications made them obsolete."

From the information board fixed to the box.

Except this one isn't obsolete, apart from being our local TARDIS that we all love, it is still in use. If you feel like shattering your childhood illusions, there are photos showing inside the box on this thread of the Sheffield History Forum - but there is a catch, you will have to register with the forum to see the pictures :-(

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RIP SCA

2008-04-30T18:32:00.001+01:00

According to the front page of our local paper, today is the day when it will finally happen. Other sources claim it was last week, next week or even (if a hastily formed pressure group get their way) never. What is the event that has provoked this mildly turbulent discussion? That would be the closure of Sheffield City Airport.

So far, everything I've read laments the loss of the airport, everyone seems to agree that losing it is a Very Bad Thing. Local millionaire Andrew Cook is following his principles of persistence by bankrolling a last ditch legal challenge to try to stop the runway from being dug up.

However the debate about the airport's demise is all a bit one-sided, so it's time to put the Three-Legged-Cat amongst the pigeons, because frankly, I'm absolutely delighted that the airport is closing.

Why? It's just a matter of perspective. I don't see the airport in terms of cheap holidays or benefits for local businesses. Having been unfortunate enough to live near a major airport I think of two things when I hear the word airport: noise and pollution. As a child I remember spending hours lying awake at night, trying desperately to block out the noise of the circling planes as they roared overhead - and we didn't even live under a regular flightpath. As for the pollution, the fact that I can't always see or smell the pollutants doesn't mean I forget about them.

Lets just consider what it would have been like if Sheffield's airport had been a success. It was never going to be a Heathrow or a Manchester, the runway was too short and there physically wasn't enough space for a large airport. However it could have developed into something akin to London City Airport, which may be small, but is certainly busy.

Sheffield City Airport could have handled much larger numbers of planes than it ever did, so it could have created plenty of disturbance for local residents. Pollution levels and the incidence of asthma in children in neighbouring areas were already concerns when the airport opened, I for one am pleased that we never got to see what happened if pollution from a busy airport had been added into the equation.

But Sheffield's Airport adventure never really got off the ground. There were some commercial flights for a while, but the number of destinations on offer was small. Some local businesses, including some that were somewhat less than legitimate, found that the airport was a convenient gateway to the city. Plans were made to expand the numbers of flights and for a while this happened, but it didn't last long.

Instead commercial airlines gradually pulled out, usually citing lack of profitability. The flying school that operated from Sheffield is moving to Doncaster's inexplicably named Doncaster Sheffield Robin Hood Airport. All that is left is a handful of private planes, which brings us to the real reason for Andrew Cook's campaign to save the airport. It appears that he wants somewhere convenient to land his private jet.

I don't know whether I'm being old-fashioned or far-sighted here, maybe I'm just being naive, but I don't believe that simply because someone has the money to pay for excessive air travel, then they have the right to blight other people's lives with their noise and pollution.

The bottom line is that we don't need an airport for short-haul flights, some people might want one, but that's not the same thing. To me, flying makes sense only as a means of covering long distances or to access particularly remote areas.

Personally I see Sheffield's lack of an airport as a positive asset. It was one of the reasons that I chose to move here. I'm glad it's gone.

/climbs off high horse
/ends rant

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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They're Back!

2008-04-27T17:00:00.001+01:00

As soon as I rashly commented on their long absence, they returned! On Thursday I passed Weston Park and realised that the gates are back. As you can see, they are looking pretty good.

The original gates were stolen in 1994, I'm pretty certain that these are replacements - I'll update this post when I find out for sure.

However I have to take issue with the information monolith/minilith just outside the park.

Weston Park Gates
Terracotta park gates, posts and railings are a tribute to the Sheffield artists who in 1859 worked on London's V&A Museum led by Godfrey Sykes, a teacher at the Sheffield School of Art. His work can still be seen, notably in the tea-rooms.

Terracotta park gates? I don't think so! The pillars are terracotta, but most definitely not the actual gates.

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Phlegmatic

2008-04-22T22:46:00.004+01:00

Our new section of relief road is proving fairly popular with drivers, but it has created a real challenge for the RSPCA in Sheffield, who were forced to close their animal shelter when the road was built. Fund raising for a new centre is underway in the form of Monty's Appeal, but in the meantime facilities in Sheffield are restricted.

At present a small building close to the original site is being used for kennels. This was a spectacularly ugly building until last summer, when it received the Phlegm treatment.

I pass it twice a day but I can't really get more than a fleeting glimpse when I'm travelling past, so we decided to go and take a closer look at the weekend.

The artwork is great, but Mr TLC had to drag me away - the sound of all those dogs howling was heart rending, but that may have been partly because it was breakfast time.

Links- updated
Meet Phlegm - he introduces himself to the readers of fatcap, a graffiti blog
Phlegm's blog
Phlegm's official art site includes some great photos

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What KT Did

2008-04-19T17:02:00.001+01:00

Do you want to know a secret? KT Tunstall has an imaginary friend. I know this because she told me about him. Only she doesn't know that her friend is imaginary, she thinks he's real.

Of course I haven't actually been hanging out with KT herself, she told me and a couple of thousand other people about this whilst she was onstage at the new Carling Academy in Sheffield on Wednesday. This was our first visit, we weren't quick enough off the mark for the opening night (which sold out alarmingly quickly) about which there were mixed reports. I was a little worried by James' description of a 30 minute wait to get served at the bar, but fortunately the first night teething problems seem to have been resolved.

The Carling Academy occupies the building that was once The Roxy nightclub (or if you are really old, you may even remember it as the Top Rank). Apart from a brief and unlikely stint as a church, the building has been empty and quietly mouldering away for years. It's a fairly large venue, so I can believe the reports that around £3 million has been spent on renovating it.

Outside still looks much the same, except for the name change. Inside will also be familiar to anyone who visited the old Roxy (I believe I just made an implicit admission there, but we'll gloss over that). The building is basically a square, with a stage on the ground floor, the first floor is essentially an enormous gallery that overlooks what was once the dance floor (and probably still is on club nights).

What has changed? The stage seems a bit bigger than I remember, obviously there is now a ginormous mixing desk with a squillion controls, there is some seating along the back wall but the strange little circular banquettes that provided a venue for drunk people to get embarrassingly over-amorous have gone. The whole place has been decorated, refurbished and generally spruced up, even the toilets were clean and in working order. However, I was amused to note that the designer has retained one key feature from the old Roxy: a sticky carpet that clings slightly to your shoes as you walk across it. OK, it's not the original sticky carpet, but it represents a small piece of Sheffield's heritage nonetheless :)

There are of course lots of bars, selling lots of Carling (and one or two other beverages), and unlike James, we were served instantly. Marvellous. The beer wasn't even as expensive as I feared, do you think they get a discount on Carling?

The gig was great. KT Tunstall was in fine form playing a selection of both new and not-so-new material. In between songs she chatted with the crowd, telling us about the inspirations for her songs, her opinions on plastic surgery, random facts (things invented by women) and of course her love of condiments.

As soon as she mentioned this, we knew what was coming next. She's talked about it before, her passion for the unique Sheffield brew that is Henderson's Relish. If you have ever lived in Sheffield you will understand the legendary status of this humble sauce. If you haven't, well it's a bit hard to explain, you'll just have to take my word for it.

KT has clearly fallen in love with the stuff (at least, that's what she tells her Sheffield fans) and is very envious of the likes of Sean Bean and Richard Hawley, who appear on the famous fan's section of the Henderson's website. She even dedicated a song to the man who works in the Henderson's Factory. That's when I realised that something was slightly amiss with Miss T, in fact KT has been letting her imagination run a little wild.

I hate to be the one to break the bad news KT, but there isn't a man who works in the Henderson's factory. No-one works in the Henderson's factory. No-one at all. The relish is definitely made at the factory - you can smell it, but it is obviously brewed up in some strange, magical process, untouched by human hand. No-one has ever been seen arriving or leaving the Henderson's factory. It's a mysterious little place.

Normally I'd feel guilty about shattering someone's illusions, but I can't imagine that KT Tunstall is lurking out there reading this, so I think I'm safe...

I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the Carling Academy, both with the venue itself and the staff - it's been a long time since I was last greeted in a polite and friendly way by security staff at a gig. I'm quite sure that Wednesday will be the first of many visits for us.

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Bower Springs

2008-04-19T12:13:00.004+01:00

I thought I'd show you another stop on the Kelham Furnace Trail. At Bower Spring (do not be misled by the idyllic-sounding name) are the remains of two cementation furnaces.

Unlike the nearby Doncaster Street furnace, these are ruined, so you can see inside. Unfortunately that is not the only difference between the two sites: these furnaces are on a site that does not appear to be particularly well cared for, neither are they very welcoming for visitors at the moment.

Bower Spring is adjacent to the new section of the Inner Relief Road. The road avoided the furnaces, but the site is littered with junk that has apparently been left behind by the road's builders: traffic cones, roadworks signs, buckets, discarded clothing and other assorted litter are all strewn around the site.

The furnaces are a scheduled monument, so they are are fenced off - and quite right too. The furnace structure needs protection and the unwary visitor could easily cause damage to themselves or to the remains on the site. Unfortunately the manner in which the area is currently fenced off is awful - it is a mixture of security fencing and partially collapsed temporary fencing of the type that normally surrounds building sites. In short it is both ugly and ineffective, plus it obscures the ruined furnaces. I hope that this situation is just a temporary hangover from the construction of the new road.

The only concession to visitors seems to be a sign, mounted high on the security fence:

"Bower Spring Furnaces
These remains of 19th cent[ury] furnaces for making cementation steel are a scheduled monument.
They belong to the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society.
Contact point: Kelham Island Industrial Museum."

It seems that it is not just the Furnace Trail web link that is not yet ready for visitors, this part of the actual trail is currently somewhat less than welcoming.

However, despite the sorry state of the site, it is still most definitely worth stopping to look. Where else could you can see exactly what a cementation furnace was like inside?

These furnaces were obviously much smaller than the one on the Doncaster Street site, I found it hard to imagine how cramped the working conditions must have been. One furnace has been reduced to little more than a tell-tale outline on the wall at the back of the site, but the other is still partially intact.

One of the stone coffins is still in place, this is a large chest that held the iron bars and charcoal which were converted to blister steel during the cementation process. Next to the coffin are brick built structures which were part of the flue system. A small section of the furnace wall is still standing, as is part of the vaulted section over the coffin - the surface of which is heavily glazed from the heat experienced during firing. Away from the furnace itself, some brickwork hints at the existence of the cellar, where the coal was fired to heat the furnace. The holes in the picture below almost certainly belonged to a completely different type of furnace: crucible furnaces were often found along cementation furnaces, including at this site. The whole structure resembles a kind of 3D cut away model.

The Doncaster Street furnace is impressive, but left me wanting to see inside, here it is possible to do exactly that.

Links
This furnace is part of the Kelham Furnace Trail. A leaflet describing the trail is available from local bookshops, including the one at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. The leaflet gives a link to Upper Don Walk trust's site but there don't seem to be details of The Furnace Trail online just yet.

All my posts about the Kelham Furnace Trail

My Flickr photoset for this furnace

The Winter 2005/06 edition of the Historical Metallurgy Society's newsletter includes an article about Bower Springs and the archaeological research carried out here before the road was built. [pdf document]

Events listings for the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Culture Vultures

2008-04-13T13:06:00.001+01:00

After I wrote about the steelworker mural the other day, I suddenly remembered the vultures.

I used to love walking past the vultures. Part way down Arundel Gate in Sheffield was an end wall with a brick mural of four vultures. Like the steelworker, this was also commissioned by Sheffield City Council, but this one was built six years earlier than the steelworker, in 1980 and was designed by Ric Bingham, from the Landscape and Planning Department.

I used to play a kind of mental game every time I passed the vultures. As a child, I was given a copy of the soundtrack to Walt Disney's Jungle Book. One track on the record was the scene with the four vultures."What we gonna do?""I dunno, what d'you wanna do?" I loved it, I learned it off by heart, although I wasn't so keen on the song that formed the second part of the track - the start of that was a lift the stylus off the record moment.

When I arrived in Sheffield and spotted this particular mural it immediately brought back childhood memories and had me playing the scene from the Jungle Book in my head. I don't know if Disney's vultures were any kind of inspiration for this mural, but I always associate the two.

So why hadn't I thought about or noticed my feathered friends lately? Were they still there, or had they fallen victim to the major redevelopments in that part of town? I went back to check them out. They are still there, but whereas once they were a focal point in a run down area, now they are slightly overpowered by the large new buildings around them. In fact, the four culture vultures sit just across the road from one of my newer friends the Millennium Galleries, surveying the relative newcomer that has temporarily grabbed my attention.

I'm probably not the only one who has been overlooking them, whilst I was snapping away taking some photos, other people stopped to look; but then, maybe that was just because I was re-enacting a certain movie scene for the benefit of Mr TLC. Unfortunately, Mr TLC had wandered off to sit on a bench just down the road, something I had completely failed to notice. I'd like to think that the people who stopped were looking at the mural, and not at the crazy woman having a conversation with herself in a fake Liverpool accent.

"Now don't start that again!"

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Everything Must Go

2008-04-12T17:48:00.001+01:00

The fate of one of Sheffield's best known, but most controversial, landmarks is sealed. Sometime this year the two cooling towers that stand next to the M1 will be demolished. Some people will be happy to see them go, but I won't, I love them.

The two Toms (Tom James and Tom Keeley) had spearheaded a strong campaign to convert the towers into massive new artworks, but sadly it was not to be. So they marked the impending demise of the towers by organising a closing down sale of specially commissioned memorabilia, held in the Millennium Galleries. It proved to be extremely popular. The sale was supposed to run for up to two weeks, but everything sold out in less than a day, which shows how well loved these landmarks are.

I really hope that Tom James and Tom Keeley do remain involved in the debate over the artwork that is planned for part of the site after the towers are demolished. I can understand just how frustrated they feel about the way things have turned out, but whilst we have missed the opportunity to create an amazing artspace that would have attracted visitors to Sheffield, there is still the chance to create something that could be a new icon for the city.

If the two Toms make their voices heard, we might just still see something great created here, rather than just yet another missed opportunity.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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A Man of Steel

2008-04-09T19:59:00.003+01:00

I thought I'd show you one of Sheffield's best known faces. I can't tell you who he is, but I can tell you that this brick mural was based on the image of a real steelworker. Some adaptations to the man's appearance were made to allow the image to be created from coloured bricks.

"The eyes had to be enlarged, for example, or the pupils and the whites would have been smaller than a brick."

Paul Waplington

After an adjoining building was demolished, the City Council commissioned artist Paul Waplington to design the mural. The Council's Works Department then constructed it.

What are this image's vital statistics? Estimates seem to vary: everyone quotes the number of bricks used at 30000 and the number of types of mortar used is usually given as 5. The number of different types of bricks that were used is unclear - some sources say 12, others 18. I tried to count them for myself and came up with a different figure, so I won't add to the confusion! The differences in the colours of the various mortars seem to have become less noticeable over time, perhaps the same has happened to some of the bricks.

The mural was built in 1986, the year when I moved to Sheffield. There is another great shot of it here.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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The Last of its Kind

2008-04-08T21:30:00.004+01:00

Travellers using Sheffield's Inner Ring Road might just catch a glimpse of part of the city's industrial heritage. Standing in HSBC's car park on Doncaster Street is the only complete cementation furnace left in Sheffield. The furnace is a large bottle shaped structure, outwardly similar to the bottle kilns used by pottery manufacturers. It is an unusual structure, very different to everything around it, but it is constructed from red brick, so it is surprisingly easy to pass by without even noticing it.

The cementation process combined carbon with iron to create bars of blister steel - named for the characteristic blisters on its surface. The process involved heating wrought iron bars and charcoal. The raw materials were packed in layers into two large sandstone chambers, known as coffins, which were sealed off with a mixture of clay and waste from grinder's wheels before the furnace was fired. The entrances to the chambers (known as charging holes) were also sealed up with bricks and clay.

The furnace was coal fired and heated the iron until it was red hot, but not molten. Once heated to this state, the iron softened and reacted with the carbon in the charcoal to form steel. Firing was a lengthy process typically lasting for around 7-10 days, followed by several more days of cooling before anyone could enter the furnace to remove the newly formed blister steel. The furnace had a surprisingly large capacity - a plaque at the site reports it at 40 tons. Let me put that in perspective for you: as an engineering student (studying metallurgy and materials science), I did a work placement at a local company that still makes special steels for the aerospace industry; their furnace had a capacity of 10 tonnes, although the firing was a lot faster than at Doncaster Street.

Blister steel was an important product in the Sheffield steel industry that was used to make a variety of tools. Unfortunately it also contained impurities which adversely affected the quality of the steel. Huntsman's crucible process could remove many of the impurities in blister steel to create a much better quality product - but more about that another time.

The Doncaster Street furnace was built in around 1848 and was one of five operated by Daniel Doncaster, a well known local steelmaking company. It was last fired in 1951.

One interesting feature of this particular furnace is the slightly odd structure on the top. This dates from World War II (although it has been restored somewhat). The top of the flue would be easily visible during firing, but given that the firing lasted for days and couldn't be stopped at short notice, a method of concealing the flue was needed. The solution was basically a metal flap that could swing down to cover the top of the flue in event of an air raid. The flap is attached to a frame and has a lever to assist in lowering it. I suspect that actually operating this when the furnace was being fired would be quite difficult.

The furnace is in very good condition, having been restored by Midland Bank (now HSBC) during the early nineties. It is fenced off (no bad thing), so it is not readily accessible, but it is easily visible. The sign states that a key is available on request from the curator of Kelham Island Museum - although the phone number is out of date and the museum is still recovering from flood damage, so we didn't try this. It didn't matter - we had a good view of the furnace from the street and from just inside the bank's car park. We visited on a Sunday, when few people were working there, I don't know if the same relaxed attitude to sightseers would apply in the week.

I'd love to actually get inside it, but somehow I suspect that wouldn't be allowed.

Diagram from the information board at the site

Links
This furnace is part of The Furnace Trail. A leaflet describing the trail is available from local bookshops, including the one at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. The leaflet gives a link to Upper Don Walk trust's site but there don't seem to be details of The Furnace Trail online just yet.

All my posts about the Kelham Furnace Trail

My Flickr photoset for this furnace

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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A Trip to The Moon

2008-04-07T21:05:00.001+01:00

During my school holidays I visited somewhere just because I thought it sounded cool, but because I have been dashing around like a lunatic and moonlighting as a joiner I have been a bit short on time and I completely failed to tell you about it.

Where did I go? I went to The Moon! No, not that Moon, this Moon. Yes, I really took a trip to The Moon! How many people can say they’ve done that?

The Moon is a rather nice pub in Upperthorpe, Sheffield. It actually opened many moons ago, but we only visit this area once in a blue moon, so it’s taken us a while to get around to a Moon landing.

The Moon is owned by the Abbeydale Brewery. It used to be called The Office, but the name was changed when Abbeydale took over. It has a sister pub, The Rising Sun (which has retained its original name). Ah, I get it.

Abbeydale Brewery produce a range of real ales and unsurprisingly The Moon has plenty of them available. When we visited 8 out of the 10 hand-pulled beers on offer were Abbeydale brews, with a couple of guest beers from other breweries.

I foolishly just read the descriptions and started (rather inappropriately) with a half pint of Last Rites, simply because it sounded nice. It was nice, but it was also exceptionally strong at 11%. Blimey, I must pay more attention in future. Mr TLC was tempted by Bee Ale Z Bub; a pun so bad that the barman in The Moon felt the need to apologise for it. Of course he didn’t realise that we were only there to try to out-pun each other.
- “Look at that moon light,” I said, pointing at the ceiling.
- “Listen, they’re playing some moon rock,” retorted Mr TLC
- “It’s not a full Moon is it, it's pretty quiet in here, but it is Sunday afternoon.”
- “Are you saying there’s no atmosphere in here?”
Shameless, we were.

Despite the fact that we only really visited for the name, I rather liked it there. We spent a pleasant couple of hours trying various Abbeydale brews. The beer was nice, the staff were friendly and the atmosphere in the pub was very relaxed. The only disadvantage for us is the location: it’s only about 30 minutes walk from our house, but that was a long moon walk uphill after I had recklessly drunk excessively strong beer in the middle of the afternoon.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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A Day in the North

2008-03-26T17:05:00.006Z

The Three Legged Cat presents a sing-along-a-blog-post.
To be sung to the tune of A Day in the Life
With apologies to Messrs Lennon and McCartney...

I read the news today, oh boy
About a lucky place that got a grant
And though the news was rather strange
Well, I just had to laugh
I saw the paragraph
“This is good news for your car
You will notice that the roads have changed”
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen her face before
No-one was really sure if she was a local councillor

I read The Star today, oh boy
Three years* just to pick a contractor
But all the holes are here today
You only have to look
Having had the shock
Of being shaken all around.

Woke up, got out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
On my bike in seconds flat
Fell over in a hole and wrecked the bike
Bent all the spokes and I went into a scream
Oooooowwwww

I read the news today, oh boy
Few thousand holes in Sheffield, South Yorkshire
And though the holes are rather small**
They’ll have to fill them all
That needs as much Tarmac as it takes to fill the City Hall
You couldn’t make it up

*Three years???!!! How can choosing a contractor take 3 years? I searched tonight's edition of the local paper for a correction, but it seems that 3 is the magic number...

**Small by Mexican standards anyway

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Pavilioned in Splendour

2008-03-24T12:48:00.006Z

The Botanical Gardens, Sheffield contain a surprising number of listed structures, including some beautifully restored glass pavilions. It's not hard to see why these mini crystal palaces are so popular both with local people and with visitors to the city; they are not just elegant buildings, they are also home to several interesting collections of plants.

Of course, the pavilions haven't always looked like this; when I first moved to Sheffield in the mid-eighties they were in a very sorry state. Only the three domed sections remained, the linking walkways had long since disappeared. The parts that were left were in very poor repair, there were plants growing in the masonry, holes in the roofs and many broken panes of glass, some roughly boarded up, others left open to the elements. I remember thinking that the buildings must have been beautiful in their heyday , but I never imagined that I would see them reborn and restored along with the rest of the gardens.

The state of the pavilions seemed to mirror Sheffield's fortunes. When they were first built for the opening of the Botanical Gardens in 1836, Sheffield was a prosperous place, sufficiently so for the purchase of the land and the creation and upkeep of the gardens to be paid for by the selling of shares and subscriptions to well-to-do residents. However both the gardens and the pavilions proved costly to maintain and so, like the fortunes of some of the city's inhabitants, they went through good and bad times.

The upkeep of the pavilions proved to be particularly demanding: the panes of glass were damaged by weather, a hailstorm in 1843 is recorded to have broken 5700 square yards (4800 square metres) of glass; the wooden structure of the linking walkways was difficult to keep in good repair, with the result that they rotted and were demolished in around 1899; the domes even suffered bomb damage during World War II.

By the time I first saw the pavilions in 1987, the gardens had been publicly owned for many years. Of course this was the era of rate capping and cutbacks in public services, it was also a time when Sheffield was suffering economically with many local industries, particularly steel and mining, in serious decline. The council was in an impossible situation: the loss of business tax revenue, cuts in grants from central government and rate capping left them with a serious shortfall in their finances. (I am not suggesting that the council made the best possible financial decisions, that's a separate debate entirely, merely that I believe that whatever they did, they couldn't have made ends meet at that time.) Unsurprisingly maintaining garden buildings was not at the top of the council's list of priorities, so the poor state of the glasshouses was in fact a direct result of the city's economic downturn.

The opportunity for restoration arrived some years later when the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust made a successful bid for lottery funding. In 1997 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded just over £5 million to the Trust for the complete restoration of the gardens, but 25% in matching funds had to be raised. It was a long and difficult project, but they managed it, the Botanical Gardens today are almost unrecognisable compared to my first visit.

The pavilions were once the largest glasshouses in the city (a title that is now held by the Winter Gardens in the city centre), and are often erroneously associated with Sir Joseph Paxton, in fact they are known locally as the "Paxton Pavilions". The ridge and furrow style of the linking walkways is typical of Paxton, particularly of his glasshouse at Chatsworth. Paxton was one of the judges for the competition to design the gardens, but the belief that the pavilions were designed by him is nothing more than a local legend, they were in fact designed by a local architect, Benjamin Broomhead Taylor.

Some necessary changes have been made to the original designs during restoration. The rebuilt linking walkways are similar in appearance to the originals, but have been fabricated, rather appropriately, from stainless steel rather than wood; so hopefully they will last rather longer than the originals. However only the linking sections have been rebuilt, one old photo shows additional ridge and furrow glasshouses attached to each end of the building, but these appear to have been short lived - there are many other images where they are missing, as they are now. Modern environmental controls and a system for collecting and storing rainwater for use in irrigation have been incorporated into the design.

The pavilions now contain collections of plants from the Himalayas, the Meditaerrranean, Australasia and South America; all plants that would not survive outside in Sheffield, but which thrive under glass. The glasshouses maintain their historic appearance whilst being functional buildings that will be used for many years to come. They are certainly pavilioned in splendour, and frequently girded in praise.

Links
Sheffield Botanical Gardens official website
Sheffield City Council official website
Some 360 degree tours of the gardens, including views inside and outside the pavillions
Wikipedia entry
There is also a Flickr group for the Botanical Gardens here

Further reading
Sheffield Botanical Gardens People Plants and Pavilions by R. Alison Hunter, published by the Friends of the Botanical Gardens, 2007. Available from the Botanical Gardens shop, local bookshops and tourist information offices, current price £4.95.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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A Spring in my Step

2008-03-22T14:33:00.002Z

Sheffield is looking so beautiful today, I couldn't resist taking a few photos. I love all the spring flowers and blossom that are starting to appear.

According to local legend, John Betjeman once described Broomhill, in the south west of Sheffield, where these photos were taken, as "the prettiest suburb in England" (although given his opinions on suburbia, this may not have been a resounding compliment!). Perhaps he saw it on a day like this.

It's very cold outside because there is a strong, bitterly cold wind, but the sun is shining and we have blue skies. A perfect day for a walk.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Yes No Other Options (Part Two)

2008-03-16T09:38:00.004Z

Art Sheffield 08
Yes No Other Options

Scroll down or click here for part one

I just couldn't leave the topic of our visit to the Millenium Galleries yesterday without telling you about the work of Sheffield based artist Andrew Cooke.

I found it hard to see how some of the art exhibited in the "Art Sheffield 08 Yes No Other Options" event fitted in with the "concept", but in this case it was very clear. I also thought Andrew Cooke's work was very funny, which in my opinion is a good thing. I don't subscribe to the view that says art has to take itself seriously.

1. A Guide to Maintaining Dignity in the Workplace (2007)
Andrew Cooke has actually written a "handbook" about how to resist the demands of your employers and avoid the pressure to perform. It was printed onto individual sheets and you were invited to take copies away with you if you wished.

The handbook covers absenteeism, mechanical sabotage, withholding enthusiasm, playing stupid strategies, procedural sabotage, work avoidance and theft.

Here's a few examples:

On procedural sabotage: "Do nothing. Procedures are there to be followed. So don't."

On work avoidance: "Find a place to hide. Toilets are a good option .... if queried, it may lead to self certifiaction the following day."
and
"Be seen behaving in a very productive manner by a superior. Then, if possible, disappear, safe in the knowledge that your superior will still believe you to be busy."

On absenteeism: "Consider using this strategy: during busy periods, when your work is understaffed..."

I thought this was great, so did Mr TLC and the various other visitors we saw there. We all had great fun matching up former colleagues to the various dubious strategies described by Andrew Cooke.

Now, which ones can I try next week...

2. Performance Under Working Conditions (2006)
I almost missed this one, after spending time watching some of the other video installations on offer I very nearly walked past it, but fortunately Mr TLC stopped me and made me put on the headphones and watch.

Andrew Cooke was doing the hoovering. Why is that interesting? Because he was the hoover! It was a video of a man crawling around, nose about an inch from a rather hideous hotel room carpet, making the whooooooooo-whoooooooo-whooooooo vacuum cleaner noise that famously terrorises cats of both the three- and four-legged variety.

Sometimes I feel I don't "get" modern art, that I don't take it seriously enough. Everyone else seemed to be nodding sagely at this piece and adopting thoughtful poses. Perhaps they were considering how Andrew Cooke was exploring "the working conditions of manual labour and effect of performing these tasks on the person involved." Maybe they were considering how he "Asks questions about status, respect, dignity, aspiration."

I wasn't, I was clutching my sides as I guffawed at the sight of a man literally doing the hoovering. Brilliant! I like it when people show me how to look at things differently. (And I know what will be happening in our house for the next few weeks if either of us mentions that particular phrase.)

My appreciation of Andrew Cooke's work may be missing something, but I'll still be looking out for him in the future.

Links:
A rather more ~~highbrow~~ informed review of "Art Sheffield 08 Yes No Other Options" and a blog post from The Guardian

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Yes No Other Options (Part One)

2008-03-15T18:00:00.003Z

Art Sheffield 08
Yes No Other Options

We paid a visit to the Millenium Galleries today. A large section of the gallery is hosting part of "Art Sheffield 08 Yes No Other Options", a citywide contemporary art event.

So what is it all about? artsheffield.org describes it like this:"Taking as its foundation a specially commissioned essay by art critic Jan Verwoert, this city-wide exhibition addresses the fact that in a post-industrial condition, one particularly pertinent to Sheffield, we have entered into a service culture where we no longer just work, we perform in a perpetual mode of ‘I Can’. ...

Verwoert asks, “...What would it mean to resist the need to perform?” He suggests that certain means of resisting are in themselves creative ... art has also used the ‘ I Can’t’, by creating moments where the flow of action is interrupted, established meanings are suspended and alternative ways to act become imaginable. He suggests that as well as yes and no, there may be other options."

All clear?
Yes: Well done, you are doing better than I am. I understand the idea of living in a service culture and being driven to perform, but I'm still a bit hazy about exactly what is on offer here, especially since the pieces we saw before we got to the main exhibition space don't have any obvious relevance to performance, or the lack of it
No: Me neither
Other Options: Lets go and look at some of the actual art.

Want to actually see some art?
Yes: Here are two of the pieces on display ouside the main exhibition area. Both are created from neon lights and are by Sheffield based artist Tim Etchells. Aren't they brilliant?

No: I'll describe some for you. There was a third piece by Tim Etchells inside the main exhibition space (where I wasn't allowed to photograph) that read "Lets pretend that none of this ever happened"
Other Options: We could find out how these pieces fit into the overall event. Apparently "... by displaying phrases that make you feel you should act but make no immediate sense, Etchells shows and dismantles the power of words to make us perform."

Are you getting the hang of this Yes/No/Other Options thing yet?
Yes: Excellent, perhaps you could explain it to me
No: Me neither
Other Options: Just enjoy the art, I did.

There was some great art on display, some was thought provoking, some was funny, some was just plain incomprehensible (at least it was to me). I enjoyed what I saw, although I still don't think I've got my head round how much of it fitted with the "theme" (if I may use such a mundane term in reference to some rather conceptual art).

But do you know what? I don't care, I don't think it matters whether I "see" what the artist or the organisers want me to. What does matter is that I enjoyed myself, what I saw made me think, and it's made me want to check out some of the other sites. If you are interested, you have until 30th March to go and see for yourself.

Scroll up or click here for part two

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Anise

2008-03-10T17:55:00.002Z

Another weekend, another chocolate shop. Anyone reading this blog would think I am obsessed with chocolate.

This week we paid a visit to Anise on Glossop Road in Broomhill, Sheffield. From the outside, the shop looks fairly ordinary, even a little shabby, although the troughs of spring flowers outside the window do give a hint of what's to come.

Once you go inside everything is exceptionally pretty, with glass shelves and counters used to display beautifully presented chocolates and greetings cards. The shop's main speciality are Belgian chocolates, sold either loose in a bag or packed into a posh box. At the moment Anise also has amazing displays of Easter eggs in every colour imaginable, but these aren't branded eggs; think marbled colours on white chocolate or vivid coloured foils wrapped round milk or dark chocolate eggs.

Of course, being full of chocolate means the shop smells fantastic, another incentive to start buying the goods!

Mr TLC and myself are not particularly compatible where chocolate is concerned, he prefers milk or white chocolate, but I'm definitely a fan of dark chocolate. Of course he can also eat a lot more of the stuff than I can, or at least he can do so without piling on the pounds. What does this mean? It means we bought twice as much as we needed to, on the pretext of each choosing something.

The real triumph was one of Mr TLC's choices, raspberry ganache: a thin shell of white chocolate around a dark chocolate filling, flavoured with raspberry. They were gorgeous. I know what I'll be buying next Saturday!

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Did the Earth move for you?

2008-02-27T01:06:00.003Z

Woah, that was a bit exciting!

Normally I would be fast asleep at 1 am, but tonight, well I believe I may blame TMB (too much beer) for causing a late night .

But at least I didn't miss it this time.

"I hope that's the helicopter!" said Mr TLC, as we felt the first sense that something wasn't right. That sense of an approaching vibration that you get when the police helicopter arrives and then hovers directly overhead, only without the helicopter noise.

"Nope, that's an earthquake," I responded, somewhat overconfidently, as the house, everything on the shelves and the furniture all went DRRRRRRRRRRRRRR as the vibrations shook us around for a few moments. Then everything returned to normal, just as rapidly as the odd shaking sensation had appeared.

I have to admit that years ago, when I was still working in engineering, I experienced an earthquake but didn't realise it at the time. I was working in an office whose outer wall also supported the enormous girders that supported a crane. Consequently the whole building shook several times a day - every time the crane was used. So on that particular occasion I never noticed that there had been an earthquake. Everyone else in Sheffield did, but not me. Oops.

If the words earthquake, 3.5 and Richter scale are included in tomorrow's local news then I will feel extremely smug.

If however no-one else noticed it then I will feel extremely foolish and say "That Moonshine is a bit strong isn't it?" Hic.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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An Historic Discovery

2008-02-25T07:25:00.001Z

I stumbled across this rather excellent site at the weekend. Actually, that's not strictly true, it's probably fairer to say that it found me.

Forum member HughW was kind enough to link from this thread to one of my posts here, which allowed me to find sheffieldhistory.co.uk. If, like me, you didn't know about it, go and take a look, it's full of interesting posts, questions and discussions.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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The Pit of dis Bear

2008-02-24T19:23:00.005Z

We took a stroll around Sheffield's Botanical Gardens yesterday, making the most of a swift return to unseasonably warm weather. Tucked away in the gardens is one of Sheffield's historical curiosities: a bear pit.

This Grade II listed structure dates from 1836 and housed two bears until the 1870s. According to an information board at the site, there is a local legend that the removal of the bears occurred after a child fell into the pit and was killed; however the official website recounts this story as historical fact: you will have to make up your own mind as to whether to believe the tale.

There are two small dens on either side of the main entrance to the pit which originally housed the bears. The first thing that struck me about these was that they are incredibly small: I can imagine that a large bear would become very irritable very quickly in such a small space, but sadly I suspect that was probably the intention. There are large metal grilles at the entrance that can be pulled across and locked to keep the occupants inside; these were re-instated during the restoration of the pit.

The pit itself is around 8 or 9 metres across (large enough to be seen on Google Earth - see below), and is topped off with elegant new railings that helpfully prevent you from falling in and being eaten by bears...

The beautifully restored modern day version of the bear pit also contains a rather splendid bear. David Mayne's 2005 "Bear" sculpture looks fantastic in this perfect setting. It is life sized, standing at around 2m high. The bear looks pretty friendly standing on his back paws with his front legs dangling down at his sides (and of course with just one bear, no fights can break out). The sculpture is made from mild steel with a rusted finish that is perfect for a brown bear's pelt.

Children (and adults) can find a clue from the riddle trail written around the base of the sculpture. The riddle is one of a series, written by well known local author Berlie Doherty, to encourage people to explore the gardens.

I'll certainly be exploring further in the not too distant future.

View Larger Map

N.B. The aerial images on Google were taken during the period when the Botanical Gardens were undergoing major restoration work.

--Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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In Black and White

2008-02-22T23:43:00.005Z

Where has this sudden obsession with graffiti come from? This one's the last (at least it's the last for now). Or is it? Time will tell...

Anyway this is at the end of Division Street in Sheffield, near the controversial graffiti competion site. I haven't managed to discover who painted it yet, but I rather like it. What do you think?

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Sheffield Blues

2008-02-18T22:30:00.004Z

Woke up this morning,
Put on my shoes,
Strolled into Sheffield,
Saw the Constipation Blues

I spotted this painted on the side of the former Fopp shop on Division Street at the weekend. Perhaps the artist should consider eating more fruit.

There was an assembly all about graffiti and criminal damage at school today, I kept thinking about this particular example and had to stop myself from smiling. It's a serious business you know, this graffiti. Mind you, so is having the constipation blues.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Blue Bird

2008-02-17T15:01:00.006Z

There is a beautiful flock of blue birds flying up through the stairwell leading to Sheffield's Graves Art Gallery.

Textile artist (and origami expert) Seiko Kinoshita has created a beautiful sculpture from paper yarn with some other mixed media. The sculpture, called Blue Bird, stretches from the skylight on the top floor to the ceiling level on the ground floor and links the Central Library and the Graves Art Gallery, which share this four storey building in Sheffield.

It is beautiful. Close up, each individual "bird" is simply a twisted piece of fabric made from woven strands of paper yarn, suspended on fine threads so that they bob and spin gently as the air moves. Individually, the "birds" look quite pretty, but viewed en masse they look absolutely stunning.

The first view of the sculpture is from below, standing in the entrance to the library you can look up at the flock of birds which seem to be fluttering up towards the skylight. The piece is big, but looks even bigger thanks to the clever way that the colours change from a dark cobalt/indigo shade of blue at the bottom, through sky blue in the centre, to a very pale turquoise at the top.

"The top skylight gave me the idea of birds flying. Also the library inspired me to think about The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck and I imagined blue birds flying up the staircase to the skylight"

Seiko Kinoshita

The view of this sculpture changes dramatically as you climb the stairs: first you look in on the flock of birds, which gradually change colour as you climb higher and higher. From the top floor, at the entrance to the gallery, the flock of birds stretches dramatically down to the foyer below.

Seiko was commissioned to make this piece, her largest to date, for this space by the Sheffield Galleries and Museum Trust.

While I was there, people of all ages stopped to look at the sculpture on their way into the libraries or the Graves Art Gallery. Younger children in particular were absolutely entranced by it. It certainly encourages people to come in to the gallery and admire the view.

Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/

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Sheffield Joke

2008-02-16T15:49:00.006Z

Why did the policeman stop the bus?

Because it had 52 Crookes on it.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Cocoa, Sugar and Spice

2008-02-03T22:40:00.003Z

Tucked away on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield is the kind of magical little shop that normally only exists in either fairy tales or Disney films: Cocoa are purveyors of "quaint and quirky chocolates and confectionery for all sorts."

From the outside, Cocoa looks like a pretty little sweet shop, or perhaps that should be spice shop. (Native Sheffielders generally refer to sweets as spice - at least Mr TLC always does.)

Inside, the shop reminds me somewhat of the tiny shops that I loved as a child: a long counter behind which are rows and rows of jars of every type of sweet imaginable. You can choose from aniseed balls, vanilla fudge, chocolate raisins, rainbow drops, wine gums, licorice roots or pretty much any other type of confectionery you can imagine. If that's not enough, then you can choose from the many beautiful chocolates on display.

Of course the sweet shops I visited as a child weren't quite like this: they had long wooden counters, not sparkling glass display cases. Neither did they have beautiful wallpaper or a gorgeous back room filled with people sipping cups of tea and eating chocolates, but it's these things that help to give Cocoa it's slightly enchanted atmosphere.

I may not be a child any more, but I still find a little bit of magic in visiting a sweet shop on a Saturday morning.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Down the Drain

2008-01-28T18:44:00.001Z

We took a little stroll around Ladybower Reservoir yesterday. I've lived near here for years, but it was the first time I'd ever seen the famous "plug holes" in action.

The "plug holes" are the entrances to two very large drainage shafts that act as overflows from the reservoir. When the reservoir is full, the excess water pours down the "plug holes", cascades down the shafts which travel under the dam and into an area called the tailbay where it enters into the River Derwent.

Imagine watching the water from a bathtub that holds 6,300,000,000 gallons of water swirling down through a plug hole about 25 metres wide. It's spectacular. The water makes an amazing noise a it plunges down the shaft; it's like standing next to a waterfall, which of course is not surprising - it is a kind of waterfall.

The "plug holes", or more correctly the spillways, are beautifully constructed in a funnel shape. They obviously look their best when the reservoir is full, at low water levels they look pretty unspectacular: just like two big cylindrical chimneys, unless they are viewed from above, so that the stepped funnel structure can be seen.

If you'd like to see one of the spillways in action, this video gives an idea of how it looks and sounds:

The "plugholes" can clearly be seen at the southern end of the reservoir on this aerial shot from Google, although the water level was much lower on the day that these images were taken.

The size of the "plug holes"/spillways seems to be a closely guarded secret (at least that's my excuse for failing to discover the answer), my estimate of 25 metres is based on measurements taken from aerial shots like this one and one from MultiMap.

The green triangular area is the turfed surface of the embankment for the dam. The tailbay and the River Derwent can also be seenat the bottom of the picture.

View Larger Map

Given the amount of rain we've had over the last few months, I'm sure the famous "plug holes" will be in action for some time yet.

Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/

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A Bridge of Size

2008-01-24T19:40:00.004Z

The design for Sheffield's next great landmark was unveiled today.

Danish architect Tim Norlund, has produced the winning design for a highly unusual footbridge, which was described as "inspired and inspiring" by the judges. However at around £2 million, it is going to be pretty pricey and I'm sure this price tag will cause more than a little controversy.

The new bridge is going to be located on the Sheffield Parkway, currently a rather dull and featureless dual carriageway that links Sheffield to the M1 and consequently provides most visitors with their first glimpse of my home city.

I think it's going to be stunning.

Updates:
To see the other designs shortlisted, visit the Darnall Forum
There is a discussion thread here on historicsheffield.co.uk

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Praise or Grumble

2008-01-21T20:03:00.001Z

It's Saturday, it's 5 o'clock, it's Praise or Grumble. The programme is a Sheffield institution, but it's also a candidate for an award for the most inappropriately named programme to grace the airwaves. Praise is generally in extremely short supply.

The format is simple: annoyed, grumpy and disgruntled fans, some sober, some under the influence of their half-time refreshments, ring in to BBC Radio Sheffield in order to get the opportunity to air their views about their team of choice. In theory they offer either a few words of praise or they can opt to grumble. But remember, this is Yorkshire; the inhabitants of God's Own County are not renowned for their cheery dispositions, particularly where the beautiful game is concerned.

Of course last weekend was particularly important in my home city, being the date of an all-important Sheffield derby match.

Friends, Wednesdayites, Yorkshiremen, lend me your ears;
I come to grumble about United, not to praise them.
The fouls that players commit could count against them;
The goals would be scored with their boots;
So let it be with United. The noble Warnock
Hath told you United were ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath United played it.

And that's just the Sheffield United fans.

Even the Wednesday fans are more moderate than might be expected in their praise for their team's recent success against their old rivals. In fact, during the years that I've lived in Sheffield, I have noticed that this has always been the case: success is ephemeral after all, so there's no point getting worked up about it, just smile knowingly and mutter "It won't last..."

"The way I look at it, that's just a few points we won't have to struggle for to avoid the relegation zone at the end of the season"

Bob, a lifelong Wednesday fan,

after the team unexpectedly led the Premiership

at the start of the 1996 -97 season

Of course there is a joyous aspect to this. Praise or Grumble is so popular partly because football fans like it, but mainly because it is often hilariously funny. We may not have Rick Wakeman or Arthur Smith, but entertaining grumpiness is definitely on the menu.

Praise or Grumble is Sheffield's original version of the soon-to-be-classic Grumpy Old Men. Enjoy.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Not playing Ball

2008-01-17T23:22:00.003Z

I've had better evenings.

For some years Mr TLC and I have trundled off to our Other Local Pub in order to listen to cheesy music, answer bizarre music trivia questions and banter with Stuart the DJ/Quizmaster. The Thursday night music quiz at The Ball was of no great importance, but we liked it and it made us strangely happy. Sadly Quizmaster Stuart has been brutally axed and replaced with a cheap but not very cheerful PowerPoint quiz.

Cue music videos with no sound. Cue the manager reading the questions on his new radio microphone for the benefit of those who can't read a screen themselves. Cue ~~entertaining banter~~ noisy buzzing feedback from new radio microphone.

Looks like we're in the market for a new Thursday night local. *Sigh*

-- Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/ Comments on the original post

Beauchief Abbey: a timeline

2008-01-06T13:11:00.002Z

Following my visit to Beauchief Abbey yesterday, I decided to find out more about the site and its history.

(NB There seems to be some disagreement about dates, especially during the early history of the abbey.)

From 1172 or 1183 onwards
Beauchief Abbey is founded by Robert FitzRanulf de Alfreton.

The abbey was part of the Premonstratensian order and like other Premonstratensian orders was small, although the abbey at Beauchief was one of the smallest in the country with an abbot and approximately 12 canons. It was not an enclosed order, the canons are likely to have been ordained and to have acted as priests for local churches. The abbey may have been dedicated to St Thomas a Beckett, his image appears on one of the abbey's seals.

The layout of the abbey is subject to some conjecture, but it is believed to have contained a range of monastic buildings including a church, cloister garth and chapter house. The photograph below is taken from the information board on the site and shows the likely layout of the original abbey.

The abbey also controlled a large area of land, including several mills, farms and some industries including iron smelting. The land controlled by the abbey expanded over the years and included property as far afield as Hathersage and Chesterfield.

1537
Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII forces the abbot, John Sheffield, to surrender Beauchief Abbey and its property to the crown. A large area of the estate was purchased by Sir Nicholas Strelley.

1648
Edward Pegge married Gertrude Strelley, heiress to the Strelley family's property, starting Beauchief Abbey's association with the Pegge family.

1671
Edward Pegge built Beauchief Hall. Some of the stone used in the building was taken from the ruined sections of the abbey.

1727
Samuel and Nathaniel Buck create an engraving of the abbey, this is the earliest image that still survives. At this point the tower is still at its original full height, with a belfry and pinnacles. The wall contains arches which are believed to be those either side of the present day building. This picture of the engraving was photographed from the information board on the site.

Between 1820 and 1827
Two stone arches are moved from their original positions to the current positions on either side of the tower.

1923
Mr Frank Crawshaw purchases the abbey and much of the surrounding land from descendants of the Strelley and Pegge families. Some of the land was later sold for housing development.

1923-1926
Excavations are carried out at the site, with the support of the owner, Frank Crawshaw. Most of the work is done by boys from the King Edward VII School under the supervision of Mr W.H. Elgar, a master at the school.

1931
Beauchief Abbey and the surrounding land is presented to Sheffield Corporation.

1996
The Abbeydale Brewery opens and uses Beauchief Abbey as the inspiration for its logo

2007
Beauchief Abbey remains open to visitors and is still in use for Evensong and Holy Communion services.

Beauchief Abbey is now a scheduled ancient monument.

*Beauchief is pronounced locally as Bee-chiff

Links:
A 360 degree tour of the Abbey
My Flickr photos
(Very limited) visitor information from Sheffield Council's Website

nb the exterior is freely accessible and no prior booking is required. There is some on street car parking nearby. Wheelchair access is very limited, there is a path to the main door, but most of the site is grassed and the ground is soft and somewhat uneven. We did spot a homemade (wood and chicken wire) ramp for disabled access to the interior!
Information leaflet about the Abbey
Wikipedia: History of Beauchief Abbey
Development of Abbeydale Brewery's Ruined Abbey Logo

Sources:
Information board at the Beauchief Abbey site
Information leaflet about the Abbey
Wikipedia: History of Beauchief Abbey
Development of Abbeydale Brewery's Ruined Abbey Logo

Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/

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Not totally ruined after all

2008-01-05T19:25:00.002Z

Looking back the clues were there all along, I just didn't notice them. There is a brown and white road sign on Abbey Lane to direct the way. The sign points down Beauchief* Abbey Lane. There's even a section on the council's website for goodness sake.

Clearly my powers of observation are somewhat lacking.

I've known for years that there used to be an abbey in Sheffield, I even knew it was in the Abbeydale area (which is hardly surprising really). What I didn't know, until very recently, was that it is still there, or at least parts of it are. I was under the impression that only a few bits of mossy stone remained to show where an abbey had been. I was wrong (but there's nothing unusual about that).

I can't remember who it was that told me that the abbey was ruined, but they were only partially correct. The tower and most of the nave from the original abbey are still standing and the current building is still in use as a chapel. On either side of the tower are two stone arches, believed to have been relocated from their original positions in an adjoining wall in the original structure. Unfortunately we weren't able to explore inside the chapel, as it was closed, but it does open for weekly services.

The other parts of the abbey really are just ruins, but the original building has left a carefully preserved footprint. There are low walls still visible showing where the cloisters and stores once were; a curved section and the bases of two pillars mark the likely site of the chapter house.

The churchyard has an air of quiet shabbiness with its tumbledown graves, old tombs and soft mossy grass. However the mystical charm of the place was spoiled a little by the sight of golfers from the neighbouring course trundling past from time to time!

It's only a small site, so on a clear wintry day like today, with very few other people around, it was possible to stand back and imagine stepping back in time to see how the area used to look. I don't know why, but I love ecclesiastical architecture, so the chance to spend some time quietly contemplating this little bit of Sheffield's history was a real treat for me.

*Beauchief is pronounced locally as Bee-chiff

Links:
A 360 degree tour of the Abbey
My Flickr photos
(Very limited) visitor information from Sheffield Council's Website
nb the exterior is freely accessible and no prior booking is required. There is some on street car parking nearby. Wheelchair access is very limited, there is a path to the main door, but most of the site is grassed and the ground is soft and somewhat uneven. We did spot a homemade (wood and chicken wire) ramp for disabled access to the interior!
Information leaflet about the Abbey
Wikipedia: History of Beauchief Abbey

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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A Wizard Shop

2007-12-22T21:42:00.002Z

"Wizard!" said Mr TLC on hearing the news. No, he hadn't been reading Enid Blyton, but he had just received a phone call to say that his new toy was awaiting collection. The long awaited Gordon-Smith Classic T (which for those of us who speak English, is a guitar) had arrived at Wizard Guitars.

Mr TLC has been lusting after a Gordon-Smith creation for ages and having seen him play one, I can see why. It's not just that he's been able to choose exactly what he wants, or that Gordon-Smith Guitars still set high store by old-fashioned values like quality materials and excellent workmanship. It's hard to describe, but Mr TLC's new guitar just seems to fit him and despite being a custom built piece, the new toy was rather cheaper than many similar mass-produced guitars.

While we were at the shop a mother and son acted out a cautionary tale for us. The teenage son had brought in the "guitar" that he had purchased via E-Bay. Apparently the seller had neglected to mention the fact that this particular guitar came in an "easy home assembly" form. The poor lad stood there holding the pieces of what used to be a guitar while Mr Evans of Wizard Guitars explained to him that it really was beyond repair. Chatting with Mr and Mrs Evans afterwards, they said that this isn't that uncommon.

I often use E-Bay, Amazon and other online stores, but I wouldn't use them to buy something like a guitar, that really needs to be tried out before you buy it, and I don't buy online if I can buy the same thing locally. We are lucky to have lots of small, independent shops like Wizard Guitars in this area. You have to use 'em or lose 'em.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Winter Garden

2007-12-12T20:28:00.003Z

The Winter Garden may be one of Sheffield's newer buildings, but it is certainly one the best loved.

When the plans for a giant greenhouse in the heart of the city were first published, they didn't create much of a stir, possibly because the local population were still suffering from development fatigue after the less than joyous experiences of building for the Student Games and then the Supertram. Of course, once the incredibly beautiful arched structure started to take shape, everyone simply fell in love with it. People stopped to stare as the giant wooden skeleton was gradually transformed into a stunning building.

Since then the Winter Garden has been planted, has matured and has become a much loved part of the city centre. The finished building is around 70 metres long and 22 metres high and holds around 2500 plants. It's a place to walk through, to sit and watch the world go by, to visit temporary exhibitions, to enjoy a cup of coffee or even (if you are really lucky) to attend an exclusive event with a select few. Despite the name, the building is open for 364 days a year and is popular all year round. A Winter Garden is for life, but not for Christmas.

The Winter Garden is now officially five years old. Many Happy Returns!

Links:
Take a 360 degree tour of the Winter Garden, inside and out

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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It must be love

2007-11-25T22:16:00.001Z

All reet love

(Common Sheffield Greeting)

Yes it's true; Sheffield people really do call each other "love". If you aren't from Yorkshire, being called love sounds a bit odd at first, but here it's just a normal, friendly term.

When I arrived here it was the one thing I thought I would never get used to, but of course now I've been here so long that I say it myself. I didn't realise that I was doing this until I said "Thanks love" to a barman in London, who of course looked at me as if I was mad. It appears I've gone over to the North Side...

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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A Sigh of Relief?

2007-11-19T13:00:00.001Z

Sheffield’s bid to become the grid-lock capital of the UK might just be thwarted today when the long awaited new section of the inner relief road opens.

According to the local council’s web site, the new section of road is just 1.5km long, but has cost a staggering £56 million, the local paper quotes an even higher cost of £65 million.

A glance at the map does suggest that it will bypass many of the worst traffic bottlenecks, so journey times should be reduced. The scheme has been designed around the needs of all the city’s road users, so it incorporates bus lanes as well as diverting large numbers of cars that would have previously created congestion on the city centre’s roads. If all goes to plan, this should be good news for everyone.

Of course this is Sheffield, a city with a council which appears to believe that simply placing inconveniences in the way of motorists will cause them all to abandon their cars and leap enthusiastically onto buses and trams. Consequently the new relief road also incorporates features such as traffic lights to help to help to manage traffic flow/slow those pesky car drivers down.

Public transport is of course a great option for many journeys, but until the system offers both improved journey times and buses, trams and trains that actually connect, without passengers having to trek from one part of town to another, it’s unlikely that many motorists will be persuaded to leave their cars at home.

In the short term, many are predicting a great deal of confusion since many local people seem very unclear about how to find their way around the new system, so there is plenty of potential for motorists to become annoyed and get lost in the days to come, particularly for those who rely on their SAT-NAV systems to find their way around.

In fact the city council has produced a really excellent map that makes this all very clear. Unfortunately for some reason instead of publicising this map’s existence, they have tucked it away on their web site. Which is a shame; because I’m sure that most people would have found this map very helpful today.

The big question is whether the new section of relief road will deliver any real relief to the city’s travellers, or will it just provide us all with interesting new places to view traffic jams?

Links:

Sheffield City Council This news page includes a link to download a map of the new road system.
The Star Sheffield's daily paper

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Henderson’s Relish

2007-11-18T18:02:00.002Z

"If you slice any Sheffield man in two, you’ll see
“Henderson’s” running through him like a stick of rock."

(Overheard in my local pub)

I’m not sure I like the idea of cutting people in two (although on second thoughts maybe I could be tempted to think of one or two potential candidates...), but I have to agree about the Henderson’s. Its status in Sheffield is legendary.

So what exactly is it? Like most people attempting to describe Sheffield’s version of the elixir of life, I’m reduced to the following somewhat underwhelming description: it’s a bit like Worcester sauce, but the flavour is different and somewhat sweeter.

According to the label on the bottle, the “spicy Yorkshire sauce” will add extra flavour to meat, fish, soups, pies, casseroles and vegetables. The flavour isn’t what I would describe as spicy, but of course in this area, “spice” means “sweets”, so the label may well be referring to the slightly sweet flavour. It is made with vinegar, sugar, caramel, salt, tamarinds, cayenne pepper, cloves, garlic oil and (oddly) saccharine. It also contains water; in fact some people claim that Sheffield’s water contributes to the distinctive taste of the relish.

Henderson’s is also approved by the Vegetarian Society (unlike Worcester sauce, which contains anchovies), which has helped it find favour with some of Sheffield’s temporary student residents.

Invented over 100 years ago by Henry Henderson and made in Sheffield pretty much ever since, Henderson’s has somehow become more than just a condiment in the eyes of its many fans. Why? Well probably because most native Sheffielders were brought up on the stuff. Whether added during cooking, or sprinkled liberally over food, just about every meal cooked in post-war Sheffield seems to have included Henderson’s Relish. The result is that Sheffielders, particularly the men, just can’t seem to get enough of it.

The Henderson’s factory itself is something of an enigma. If you stand directly outside you will notice that the smell of the relish is quite strong and the frontage of the building is in reasonable condition, but if you look at the ramshackle buildings behind it you’ll be left wondering how they are still standing. And who works there? Why is no one ever seen arriving or leaving?

No wonder then that the famous relish and its factory are often the subject of rumours claiming they are closing down. This often sparks panic buying among Henderson’s addicts; one friend told me how his Dad bought a lifetime’s supply of the stuff and stored crates of it in his garage, just in case.

Happily the rumours seem to be unfounded; Henderson’s Relish continues to be produced. If you live outside Sheffield, you’ll find it a challenge to get hold of the stuff, but it’s selling as fast as they can make it (and sometimes faster) in the supermarkets, grocers and chip shops of South Yorkshire.

Links:
The official Henderson’s site, with a guide to the company’s history, recipes and celebrity fans.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Henderson's!

An un-official fan club, with an interesting explanation as to how Henderson’s Relish is brewed.

Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Train Spotting

2007-11-12T23:14:00.001Z

East Midlands Trains (part of the Stagecoach group) are now been the official operator on the Sheffield-St Pancras line. They took over at 2 am on Sunday 11th, but the "big launch" was today. Cue: lots of film of people in first class carriages on Look North. Cue: Harry Gration and others bemoaning the lack of a restaurant/buffet car.

Midland Mainline were judged to be one of the most reliable train companies. And you could go and get a cup of coffee for free from the buffet car. But the thing with the Sheffield to St Pancras service at the moment is it's slow. Really slow.

Of course journey times vary, but a typical journey time for this route leaving after 7am on a weekday is about 2 hours 20 minutes - a little faster if you are lucky, a lot slower if you aren't. Compare that with Doncaster-Kings Cross (thetrainline.com shows times between 1:36 and 1:59 hours), or even Leeds to London - which has a journey time of between 2:12 and 2:20 hours, despite being significantly further.

The East Coast line is a better line, but the real difference that I noticed once I started using this route is the reduced number of stops: the Doncaster train makes one or two intermediate stops, the Sheffield train stops at nearly every major station on every journey. It is quicker (although sadly also more expensive) to travel to London via Doncaster than to go direct from Sheffield.

Personally, when I book a train ticket I want a fast, reliable service - and preferably one that goes direct to avoid the hassle of changing trains. I also want a seat, I am not a fan of standing up or sitting in the space provided for luggage. The presence (or absence) of a buffet car is far less important to me - particularly since the on two out of the last three occasions when I travelled with Midland Mainline, the buffet car was closed anyway, so I couldn't have relied on it being available!

If we get the promised improvements, then I think it will be worthwhile. I say "if" because whilst a shiny new train appeared for the launch, we are still waiting for:

Improved journey times
The promised "through" tickets that will link up with Eurostar, which don't appear to be available via the EMT site yet
Cheap tickets that are actually available (East Midlands Trains site promises "tickets from £7", but I couldn't find any that were actually on sale...)

I am feeling very cautiously optimistic, there is the possibilty of a reasonable service being operated. Time to wait and see.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Continental Sheffield

2007-11-10T20:41:00.005Z

An excellent surprise today, a routine trip to collect my new glasses turned into a mega shopping trip - the Continental Market was in town! (Well the Queen did tell us Sheffield was now closer to Paris when she opened St Pancras this week - I didn't realise how close!).

There were cheese stalls, bakers, creperies, traders selling hats and scarves, Morecambe Bay shrimps(!), sweets, gingerbread houses, German sausages, flowers, plants, Christmas trees (bit early!), olives, dried fruit, piles of garlic, fruit and vegetables, leather goods and a grumpy Yorkshireman complaining "They're tekin some reet money" every time his wife looked at anything. Fortunately for me, Mr TLC is not a grumpy Yorkshireman at times like these - he is much too busy buying all the cheese in the world. However the grumpy Yorkshireman is right - it is fairly pricey on the food stalls, but on the other hand the food is fantastic - and I can kid myself that I've been to one of those marvellous French markets without the expense of a ferry/train to France!

I got the chance to practise my awful French, although this did backfire when the very nice guy on one French bakery's stall failed to understand me before saying "I'm sorry I don't speak French". Which wasn't too surprising, because he was from Poland.

There were also buskers playing which added to the festive feel. I love this kind of shopping. The city centre is alive - the total opposite of the sanitised, chain store blandness of the out-of-town "shoppertunity" offered by Meadowhall (aka Meadowhell). The development and location of markets seems to be a contentious topic for our local council - I hope they take note of the popularity and success of the specialist markets on Fargate and reconsider relocating The Moor market there during the current redevolpment -after all the 'normal' and 'continental' markets operate on the same streets in Chesterfield without any major problems. Vive le marché!

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Friday Tea Thyme

2007-11-09T23:33:00.004Z

It's Friday, it's five fifteen and it's Thyme to think about going out for tea! It's been a long week, so Mr Three Legged Cat & I set off to start the weekend at Thyme Cafe.

The name cafe could be considered a little misleading. To me the word "cafe" conjures up two images: somewhere that serves huge mugs of tea and enormous bacon sandwiches, or one of those fantastic bar meets restaurant places that seem to line every street in France. Thyme Cafe doesn't fit either of these, it is more like a very informal restaurant. You sit at chunky wooden tables on either pews or old wooden chairs. The menus are on huge chalk boards and you wander up to the bar to order your meal. There are no reservations, but they do run a list once it gets busy, so if they don't have a table you can call back later at a pre-arranged time. The unofficial pre-Thyme early evening bar is in the neighbouring Broomhill Tavern, which seems to do a pretty decent trade serving people that you end up sitting next to when you go back to eat.

The best thing is (of course) the food. Menus change fairly often, but usually feature a mixture of Thyme classics eg meat & potato pie, cheeseburger & fish cakes, as well as tapas, risotto, salads and dishes such as confit duck or seared salmon. They always use freshly cooked, good-quality ingredients, which make great tasting (& nicely presented) meals.

As usual, we had a relaxed and enjoyable meal. All in all, a very pleasant start to the weekend.

--
Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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Seismic Sheffield

2007-11-06T22:10:00.001Z

How very amazing - not only does the Queen mention Sheffield, but she informs us that "Today Sheffield is closer to Paris". Bloody Hell. You'd think we'd have noticed a seismic shift that major.

Actually, it is fairly seismic for those of us who live here. After years of the Sheffield - St Pancras line aiming to set new records for slow journeys to London (it was quicker - but sadly more expensive - to travel via Doncaster), we are promised an improved service. Then the transformation of St Pancras, once the forgotten station of London, is completed. Suddenly Europe seems tantalisingly close.

For me, first up is a weekend in Lille and a return visit to the famous chocolaterie Meert. Can't wait.

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Originally published here on my main blog http://three-legged-cat.blogspot.com/
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